Computer-driven systems utilize sets of sensors to monitor arterial flow systems. In general, arterial flow systems describe the movement of liquids, gases or granular materials through pipes, conveyors or other conduits. Movement of traffic through streets of a city or geographic region can also be viewed as an arterial system. The flow of automobiles and other vehicles through a city can be tracked using various types or sets of sensors. The collected sensor data can be utilized by a traffic flow system to monitor movement of traffic.
Traffic flow systems can be utilized for a variety of purposes including route planning and road design. For example, flow of traffic can be monitored to detect and predict bottleneck situations. Identification of bottlenecks in an arterial flow system, such as a traffic system, allows for diversion of materials and alleviation of the bottleneck. In addition, identification of road segments prone to bottlenecks can assist in planning future traffic flow or modifying existing roadways (e.g., expanding an existing two-lane road into a four-lane road).
Traffic flow can be monitored utilizing a variety of sensors. In particular, during rush hours, when most commuters are in transit between work and home, traffic in most major cities is monitored using helicopters, strategically positioned cameras and/or commuter reports of traffic incidents. In addition, particularly well-traveled roads can include networks of pressure sensors designed to monitor the flow of traffic. Commuters can be provided with traffic information necessary to plan a commute route via traffic reports broadcast over the radio or on their television. Traffic information can also be displayed via electronic signs alerting travelers approaching an interchange or other problem area. The signs can even include a prediction of travel time based upon the density and speed of traffic detected by the sensors. The provided traffic information allows drivers to plan their commute to avoid bottlenecks and minimize travel time.
The validity of the traffic flow information and systems that monitor or predict the traffic flow are dependent upon the validity of data received from sensors. In general, large sets of sensors are used to estimate or compute the current flow of the system and to predict the future flow. However, even in a system utilizing data collected by numerous sensors, invalid sensor information can lead to degraded performance of a traffic flow system.